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All communications respecting Advertisements in the CHEMICAL NEWS should be addressed to the Sole Contractors, HAZELL, WATSON, and VINEY, Ld., 52, Long Acre, London, W.C. No IN the CHEMICAL NEWS of March 26 (vol. xcix., p. 148) I described a method of harmonising the atomic weights by marshalling the elements on elliptical curves. attempt was then made to indicate any chemical regularity except as regards the inert gases, which were picked out by two circles where they intersected the ellipses. The symmetrical distribution of the inert gases, which appears when the elements of the curves are arranged in tabular form (vide p. 150), suggests that some further regularities may be found; that this is the case will be seen from the following notes. An Acidic Regularity.-If a list of the clearly defined acids be made-namely, hydrochloric, hydrofluoric, boric, phosphoric, vanadic, hydrobromic, permanganic, selenic, niobic, arsenic, silicic, germanic, telluric, chromic, titanic, sulphuric, per- rhodic, carbonic, stannic, hydroiodic, molybdic, antimonic, tantalic, and perhaps auric, and one or two others, the elements of which function in producing both basic or acidic oxides, or yield feeble acids-the acidic elements will be found to be uniformly distributed throughout the table on p. 150, above referred to. This table is substantially reproduced below with the principal acidic elements enclosed in brackets, these being arranged uppermost in each column to bring out the regularity in question. Four and five blanks are shown in the first and second groups respectively, assuming that four elements belong to each intermediate curve of the second group. The third grouping, which is not attempted, would probably take tungsten (tungstic acid), osmium (osmic acid), platinum (platinic acid), lead, bismuth, thorium, uranium, radium, ionium, &c., leaving many blanks. To the second group probably belong holmium (162), neoytterbium (172), decipium (171), and lutecium (174), leaving only one unfilled space. 241 Curve Nos. I. 2. 3. 4. 5. A Kr CI [F [Ge] [B [SI] [P] Be LI Fe* ((H); (Na) (K) [V] [Br] [Mn] Co* [Nb] Yt Ni* (Sr) (Ru) (Ag) some uncertainty attaches to the question of whether an element gives a peroxide or not, the benefit of the doubt is given in favour of the tabular regularity. This seems admissible in support of the scheme until more accurate weights are obtainable, when a rigorous test as to its truth can be made. Baxter and Coffin (Zeit. Anorg. Chem., 1909, Ixii., p. 50) give the revised weight of arsenic as 75 02, 74 96, or 74'92, according as the fractions for silver are taken as o ́93, 0·88, or 0-85 respectively. The value 7498 is concordant with silver taken at 107'90, and this figure is established by curve No. 8. In the case of chromium, Baxter, Muller, Hines, and Jesse, jun. (Journ. Am. Chem. Soc., May, 1909), have found the weight of this element to be 52 06, 5201, or 52 98 according to the above-named frac tions for silver. Consequently, pending further determinations, Cr must be assigned to curve No. 12, if its value is 52.03, to agree with silver taken at 107.90. The Magnetic Elements.-These elements are shown by an asterisk, and they fall on the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 18th curves, indicating that the 12th and 15th curves should carry similar elements. Inasmuch as only four pronounced magnetic elements are at present known, this inference is not justifiable. Shukoff (Comptes Rendus, 1908, cxlvi., 1396) has obtained a strong magnetic oxide of chromium by heating CrO3. Into the first group gallium (70) and two newly discovered elements by Ogawa (College of Science, &c., Kyoto) may fit. One, provisionally named “nipponium" (Np), which gives a higher acidic oxide similar to molybdenum trioxide, has a probable weight of about 100; the other one, also yielding a higher acidic oxide, has an equivalent of about 16.7, but its valence has not been fixed (CHEMICAL NEWS, vol. xcviii., p. 249, and p. 261). While it is difficult to make proper use of some of the rare elements in a classification of this kind, owing to the uncertainty or meagreness of the data, the incandes-heat to atomic weight may be explained by virtue of this cent gas-mantle industry has led to the investigation of many rare elements, with the result there is a surprisingly large amount of very accurate data now available. Since the weights of most of the elements have not been determined to the second place of the decimals, the close proximity of curves Nos. 1 and 2, as well as of Nos. 5 and 6, Nos. 10, 11, and 12, make it difficult to form any conclusive opinion as to whether all the elements of the two groups tabulated are correctly assigned to the curves, notwithstanding this regularity. It is obviously difficult to classify all the elements in terms of acidity, as the line of demarcation is not definite in every instance, but an inspection of the table will make it clear that the acidic elements (using this term advisedly) are very evenly scattered through the table. A Peroxide Regularity.-Referring to the same table, a striking regularity is revealed by the non-acidic elements that give peroxides, e.g., sodium (NaO2), potassium (K204), zinc (ZnO2), &c., which are enclosed in parentheses. Specific Heat Sequence.-The position or sequence of the elements on the curves appears to bear a relation to their specific heats, and the close inverse relation of specific regularity rather than by the assumption that it follows as Argon, 20-90° C. (Dittenberger) The Theory of Satellites.-This idea, due, I believe, to Wetherell, which I adopted to get over a difficulty in regard to nitrogen and beryllium (glucinum) is too hypothetical to be seriously entertained without experimental evidence, although there is astronomical evidence of a body (gas) having an atomic weight below that of hydrogen. The weight of the satellite given in my previous article, namely, o'2684, should be regarded as a roughly approximate figure. A large scale drawing was made, the extreme accuracy of which might easily be questioned. Moreover, the value of this figure is alterable according to the weight taken for nitrogen, and therefore involves suppositions that are not sufficiently well-founded. The postulate that iodine carried such a satellite is to some extent warrantable, since recent determinations of tellurium and iodine have, I believe, confirmed the inverse position of these elements in Mendeleeff's periodic table. Further, a satellite may give iodine its halogen properties, just as the oxygen or nitrogen of NO2 gives in this example a body closely allied to the halogens, yet its components elements, N and O, are individually quite different. mode of reasoning will be more apparent if a study be made of the table given in my previous article in a footnote on page 148. Granting that the satellite theory is true and that the minute body could be separated from iodine, the resultant element would probably be totally different, even if it did not break up into two or more atoms. This In conclusion, it should be noted that these various systematic attempts at harmonising the elements, involving tables in which some rearrangement is effected, are by no means final. Each assemblage is made with the view of dealing with one or two chemical attributes apart from all others. It is a process of sorting in which those elements having pronounced qualities are singled out first. Other attributes seem to be foreshadowed, and the tendency of each curve to carry a definite "assortment" seems fairly well established. It should also be noted that Nb may belong to curve No. 9, and that Mo may change places with I, and Er may fill the upper gap shown on curve No. 16. There is some indication that the curve intersecting cobalt and inanganese should be deleted and a new one established near to the one at present intersecting sodium and lithium. This change would make the two groups of curves identical in the character of their spacing as measured on the +0.8 line. In that case, sodium might be expected to belong to the third curve and lithium to the second, whereby the existence of the latter as a peroxide would be justifiable. Rubidium would have to be assigned to the curve intersecting strontium, selenium, and niobium. These, or other changes, will doubtless be necessary when the weights of the elements become more accurately known. of the flask is a fairly narrow tube carrying at its lower extremity a thistle funnel firmly packed with cotton-wool, and covered with a piece of fine muslin or cotton-cloth. On leaving the flask this tube is bent twice at right angles. and forms a syphon, the lower arm of which communicates with a second flask at a lower level than the first. The other tube passing from the extraction flask is connected with a condenser, and carries a side tube which communicates also with the lower flask. A tap is fitted on this tube between the extraction flask and the side tube. The material to be extracted is placed in the flask a, and the solvent is added until the flask is about two-thirds full. The contents are then heated to the boiling-point of the A B AN EXTRACTION APPARATUS FOR PLANT PRODUCTS, &c. By S. J. M. AULD, D.Sc., Ph.D., and SAML. S. PICKLES, D.Sc. THE apparatus, of which a figure is given, has been found very useful for the extraction of large quantities of material with solvents, e.g., the extraction of oil from oil-seeds, resins, and other extractive matter from ground woods, leaves, grasses, &c. It possesses the following advantages over the apparatus generally used:-(1) Larger quantities of material can be dealt with; (2) the extraction is effected at the boiling-point of the solvent; (3) the solvent is rapidly and continuously recovered in the same apparatus, thus dispensing with prolonged distillation processes in separate vessels. The apparatus consists of a large bolt-head flask fitted with a two-holed stopper. Passing almost to the bottom solvent, the stopcock c being open. When the solvent has become saturated the cock c is closed momentarily, and the solution passes through the syphon tube into the flask B, any solid particles being held back by the cottonwool filter. The tap c is opened as soon as the syphon is set, and the solvent is distilled from the flask B, entering the extraction flask through the upper side tube. The aperture in the stopcock c should be as large as possible; in fact, for most solvents the tap may be dispensed with, and an indiarubber joint inserted in its place. The tube can then be temporarily closed by pressure with the fingers when it is required to force the solvent into B. Experiments are being made with a view to rendering the process quite automatic. |